Minority Mental Health and Inclusive Care

Key takeaways

• Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

• Celebrate Tolerance

Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month . At MHCS, we feel it is important to highlight some of the issues that many minorities face regarding personal wellness. We hope that by recognizing challenges for racial and ethnic minority groups, others will be more aware of and better understand the need for access to help and solutions.

Maybe you know the quote from Senator Paul Wellstone: “We all do better when we all do better.” This can especially relate to mental health. When everyone has access to supportive and effective mental health care, we all feel better, safer, and calmer.

Mental health is a universal concern. People of all sizes, shapes, colors, and backgrounds deal with mental health issues every day. In fact, numbers from the National Institute on Mental Health (NAMI) show that in the U.S., more than one in five adults live with a mental illness.

Though mental health issues across all races may seem comparable, there are often differences in how mental health is analyzed. Some reports indicated the possibility that mental illness in minorities could be misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, which can lead to mistrust toward mental health professionals.

Patients may also alter the way they report or describe symptoms because of the underlying stigma surrounding mental health. According to NAMI, the concern over how others perceive them may prevent people of color from discussing mental health issues or seeking help for them.

Celebrate Tolerance

Growing up in a Jewish family in the 60’s meant that I primarily knew about Jewish holidays and customs. Our new year came in the fall. We had Hanukkah, not Christmas, and our traditional meals involved family jokes and TMI. I had limited exposure to other cultures, as the suburban school I attended was not diverse.

I didn’t know anyone who celebrated holidays outside of the Judeo-Christian faiths. I didn’t have a friend (that I knew of) who was not heterosexual and I had no friends of color. My cultural and religious lens widened after high school. I went to a liberal college and met friends from different backgrounds and faiths. I discovered my own hidden biases and did some soul searching. While I didn’t seek out differences, I enjoyed learning about them.

In listening to my clients talk the messages they learned about “others” while growing up, a familiar theme emerges. There was more preaching than teaching, more “them vs. us” mentality, and beliefs based on protection and ignorance.

There about 29 different religious and cultural holidays celebrated from November to January. As amazing as that is, it is only the beginning. There is a multitude of cultures, faiths and events that I have never heard of listed at www.interfaith-calendar.org.

To celebrate means to observe, keep, remember. In this holiday season, let us celebrate what we have in common, not what is different. Let us embrace our humanness, the fabric of our differences, our struggles, sorrows and joys.

When to reach out

If symptoms are affecting relationships, work, school, sleep, or daily routines, professional support can help you sort through what is happening and choose a realistic next step.

MHCS provides therapy and mental health support for individuals, couples, families, teens, and adults.